The last of citrus season is upon us so let's make the most of these beauties as the first inklings of strawberries make their way to the markets. There's incredible diversity when it comes to citrus (oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, tangelos...to roll a few off the tongue!) that each one can impart distinct flavors, textures and colors. Not to mention varying levels of acidity or sweetness. Hint: grapefruit will tend to showcase the most acidity here while cara cara oranges will delight even a child's palette with its soft sweetness.
I've come up with a delicate salad that will wow your guests and leave everyone wanting to try their own combinations of citrus and savory elements. It truly is a fun dish to create and eat and offers many opportunities to put together that "perfect bite" and share it with another. Tell me, what is yours?
Let your inner culinary artist shine and make time to play in your
kitchen sandbox!
What You'll Need
- 1 grapefruit, in segments - 2 oranges (cara cara or navel are lovely), in segments - 2 mandarins, sectioned - 1/2 shallot, sliced finely - small piece of French feta (smoother, milder taste), crumbled - 10 castelvetrano or kalamata olives, pitted & halved - handful of almonds or pistachios, toasted & chopped - sprig of mint, leaves torn - 2 T olive oil - 1 T red wine vinegar - 1 t ground cumin (feel free to leave out if this isn't your thing) - 1/2 t raw honey - pinch of sea salt
The Steps
Start by cutting the ends off the citrus and squeezing the juice into a small bowl. Stand fruit on one of its flat ends and cut away a section of the peel by gently moving the knife downwards and following the shape of the fruit. Continue this around the whole fruit and compost the rinds. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and lay the two halves on their flat sides. Cut slices that resemble a half moon.
Peel shallot, trim ends and slice lengthwise. On its flat surface, cut thin slices. Place these in the citrus juice for 5-10 min to marinate and reduce pungency.
To make the dressing, combine the last five ingredients in a mason jar and shake.
On a blank canvas, arrange your beautiful citrus salad like you would an abstract piece of art. Lay down one type of citrus at a time, then the shallots, olives, feta, almonds and mint leaves. Drizzle dressing atop and enjoy immediately.